1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the invention relates to positional monitoring of persons. More specifically, the invention relates to such positional monitoring wherein at least one monitored person uses a combination of a monitored person device and a companion device, of either a fixed position type or a transportable type, wherein the combination cooperates to provide for a relatively accurate positional determination of the monitored person.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been a desire to monitor where a person is at any given time. Numerous reasons exist for such monitoring including for emergency response, behavioral tracking and general personal security.
Referring now to emergency response, numerous medical conditions may exist which require immediate attention. Examples of such medical conditions may be broadly defined as occurring when there is a sudden deviation from acceptable limits. The underlying medical condition may have been known or unknown to the individual. Such a deviation from acceptable limits may require that the individual temporally modify his or her activity, may require introduction of a medicine or may require medical attention by trained medical personnel.
Currently when medical attention by trained medical personnel is suddenly required as a result of a crisis it usually falls to the individual or other individuals which observe the crisis to summon assistance. This is often not possible for the individual to do because of the specific medical crisis and the effect upon the individual. The individual may be alone at the time of the medical crisis. As is often the case, other individuals which observe the crisis may not be capable of readily identifying the problem. In any event, such a request for medical assistance is often less efficient than desired due to misdirection to the location of the individual having the medical crisis. This may result in a loss of valuable time from the onset of the medical crisis to arrival of the trained medical personnel.
Referring now to behavioral tracking, our society has been compelled to confine individuals as a result of their behavior which has been deemed unacceptable to the best interest of society. Historically, such confinement has occurred at centralized locations where numerous confinements occur simultaneously. It is expensive for society to maintain such centralized locations due primarily to construction cost, upkeep cost, supervisory personnel expense and medical care for the persons being confined. These persons being confined represent both those convicted of committing a crime as well as those accused of committing a crime, but awaiting trial.
Our society has begun to seek alternative means of confining those individuals convicted of committing a crime or accused of committing a crime while awaiting trial where those individuals are deemed to pose an acceptable risk to society. Parole, probation and house arrest programs have existed for some time and are being extensively utilized by the justice system for certain type of crimes.
Additionally, our society has recently made progress toward restricting the activities of certain habitual offenders of certain type of crimes even following completion of court appointed sentences. These restrictions are coming in the form of civil actions as compared to criminal actions. Some circumstances require continued conventional confinement while others require site confinement or other monitoring of activities. Examples of such crimes include child molestation and other sex crimes.
Referring now specifically to site confinement, a common type of behavioral monitoring, it is conventionally known to provide for such site confinement of individuals wherein means are provided within the respective system to indicate that a respective individual has violated boundaries of their respective site. Several of these systems include means to detect tampering with various elements of the system.
The most common type of such a site confinement system comprises three devices. These devices are a central processing unit, at least one transportable device and at least one base unit. The transportable device, which securely attaches to the individual being confined, comprises communication means to communicate with the base unit. The base unit, which is positioned within the boundaries of the confinement site, comprises two types of communication means. The first of the communication means allows the base unit to at least receive a signal from the transportable device. Generally, this communication is a wireless broadcast. The second of the communication means allows the base unit to at least send a signal to the central processing unit. Generally, this communication is over a ground based telephone system. When communication is not present from the transportable device to the base unit, the base unit, utilizing the second communication means, communicates with the central processing unit to notify an oversight authority of a possible violation of the confinement by the individual. As can readily be seen such systems have a general deficiency in that they are bound to a single designated site location. Several systems have been proposed which allow for a wider tracking of individuals.
It is a desire, for various useful reasons, to provide a method for monitoring at least a locational position of a person beyond that available utilizing a site confinement system. Various methods, and associated systems, exist to provide for such roaming monitoring. Generally, such roaming monitoring systems can be defined as belonging in one of two groups. Such roaming monitoring methods all share certain requirements without regard for the specific reason for such monitoring. A first requirement is that means must be provided to determine a locational position of at least one of the moveable components. This requirement necessitates structural components which must be moved about with the monitored person. A second requirement is that means must be provided to transmit, at some point of time, information about such locational position to other components employed within the method. Various other requirements will exist depending upon the design and purpose of any select system.
Systems of the first group provide for a combination of a transportable device and a body worn device. Such systems provide for a capacity to fairly accurately determine a position of the transportable device. The components required to fulfill the locational determination requirements of this group are housed within the transportable device. The monitored person moves the transportable device around during movement of the monitored person to retain the transportable device within a definable communication range with the body worn device. Systems within this group only provide for locational tracking of the transportable device while indicating the position of the monitored person based upon confirmation that the respective transportable device for the respective monitored person is within a free range zone about the respective body worn device. Systems based upon this group enjoy the benefit of housing bulky components within the transportable device which must be manipulated only when the monitored person desires to move to a location beyond the then existing free range zone. This provides the benefit of a significantly reduced weight, both in terms of required components and a power supply therefor, which must be constantly transported by the monitored person. Unfortunately, in order to be practical in application, the free range zone, generally a radius but subject to other communication factors, about the body worn device must be relatively large to prevent loss of communication between the body worn device and the transportable device as the monitored person moves about during routine activities. For those systems utilizing emergency response, this may require an excessive period of search time to locate the monitored person, or even prevent location of the monitored person. For those systems utilizing behavioral tracking, this may provide for the monitored person to be within an excluded site while the system reports that the transportable device remains outside of the perimeter of the excluded site. As can readily be seen, systems based upon this group have various failures which prevent acceptance of such systems within the industry.
Systems of the second group provide for a body worn device to be the only component in the possession of the monitored person. Such systems provide for a capacity to fairly accurately determine a position of the monitored person. Unfortunately, such systems require that all the required components be transported with the monitored person constantly and that an adequate power supply exist to support operation of those components. This results in a relatively heavy and bulky body worn device.
As can be seen various attempts have been made to provide for a method of monitoring the location of roaming monitored persons. These attempts have been less efficient than desired. As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a system which may accurately determine the location of the roaming monitored person while providing for a fairly small and light device which must be constantly in the possession of the monitored person. The present invention substantially fulfills these needs.